If you miss the old days of grandma's kitchen or your own mother's old fashioned cozy home, you can reconnect here and get a flavor for all things vintage, warm, cozy, special, and memorable!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Designing vignettes that showcase your style......

Notice the background for the wreath, next to the brick, over the walnut mantel, and the brass fireplace tools. A lot going on, but it seems to work!

Against a dark red backdrop, I have hung a fruit still life print, an ornate framed miniature picture, a solid copper mold,  and placed other accessories of colors that set off each of the prints.

Notice the chair rail that adds a touch of vintage to this arrangement...and I spent I think about $4 total creating this!

My "china" cupboard....free!

I like the bright white window trim and all the colors together here!
Over the years I have had to work with the design elements my home has, and the accessories I found here and there to create the look and feel of a country french home.  I love the colors red and yellow. That's my taste. Yours may be different and I am guessing it is. Finding interesting pieces and not spending top dollar is sort of my specialty.  This happened because I am a penny pincher and knowing I have acquired a decorative item that cost me a lot of money does not sit well with me. I prefer to happen upon really one of a kind accessories at thrift stores and the like.  Once I get them home, then the magic begins.


In my kitchen I had a cupboard in a strategic location where when the outdoor light came in, whatever was in it could be a focal point. However, the doors were closed up, and one would have to open them to see what was inside. I took my doors to a carpenter friend of mine who removed the raised panels within and replaced them with glass.  Now I had an instant china cabinet of sorts where my collection of china cups, saucers, and vintage place settings could be showcased with great pride.  I didn't go the step further, but if I did, I would have placed lace trim on the shelf edges just to add more vintage appeal.  If I wanted, I could add lights that shine down on the shelves and even make all the shelves glass.  Wouldn't that be pretty?


In another corner of my kitchen I arranged several items on the back splash of an otherwise dim lifeless corner. I curb picked a handsome still life print under glass, beautifully framed already, and placed it next to a substantive mustard gold canister ($2.50), a hanging solid copper mold ($1.99), and couple of ornately framed pictures ($1 and $2 respectively) and some interestingly shaped bottles of spiced oils ($ 1 for two smaller ones and $3.99 for the largest one).  It may look like a lot to have there in that space, but I tried to downsize the number of items here, and since it is a largely unused corner, I prefer to have these items there and they lend a wonderful array of color and light to the space.  I think I will keep this just this way!


In my family room, the fireplace is flanked by a red leather suede picture frame that holds a photo of my son with his 13 ft tall sun flower from Kindergarten. On the opposite end is a large wooden pineapple statue ($3.99 -Salvation Army) ,  and a rose berry wreath given to me by a friend, she was going to throw it out with yesterday's newspapers.  Who knew that these three accessories could come together against the yellowish wood grained backdrop and the brickwork of the chimney to create such a presentation...one that I am content to see every day I am in that room?


Over on one side of the family room against the window wall, I have married a country french flavor chair, a plaid throw pillow that matches the down filled couch, and an interesting shaped table with ornate legs.  Upon this table is a hurricane lamp that I had the base that only needed the mosaic glass hurricane ($2 - garage sale find)  to bring it to life.  Partnered with that is a "HOME" piece, a small turquoise pottery vase given to me from an aunt's belongings, and a cute checkerboard farmhouse style picture frame ($5.99 - Marshalls).  If you look beneath the table you will see the awesome spice cupboard that sits there, purchased at another thrift store for a mere $4.00.  I bought it to hang, but discovered that it looked so perfect there under the table. I decided to leave it there. Finally, notice the curtains on the window in a red and yellow toile juxtaposed with the plaid throw pillow on the chair?  I love mixing prints!  It is an inexpensive design trick that looks expensive!  And the colors in these additions were the colors of my room, so it works nicely together!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

Something's Cooking in Grandma's Kitchen....

Vintage stove top pot and lid
Do these conjure up any memories for you?

Do you remember cooking the turkey in a roaster like this?

Do these look familiar?

A lovely cheese plate and dome

The Jewel Tea man used to bring these over when he visited

I love to cook and one of the things that makes cooking enjoyable is having the utensils that not only help to create the dish, but also the ones that help in serving, which is really, presenting the final result. I find that when I cook, I sometimes revert back to my grandma's kitchen.   She had the utensils pictured here in her kitchen, on the shelves, in the cupboard drawers, and in the middle of her dining room table. They conjure up memories of baking a cherry pie using cherries from the tree in the yard, cooking up a stew in her hammered granite ware  metal pots using vegetables from her garden, and serving her culinary creations in various other vessels that left a mark on me.  I enjoy seeing these different containers in antique shops and at yard sales, and while I hold off purchasing many of these things, I have indulged in a few pieces that I am having trouble parting with, even though they were originally purchased to sell online.  With fall comes the opportunity to create the same wonderful comfort foods that grandma did. So for me....I plan to hang onto these things a while longer. Maybe my children will someday come to appreciate them.....just as I do!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Nature's Bounty at summer's end

I had to take a drive to Ohio today on a buying trip.  Just when I was wondering when I was going to get where I was going, I noticed a produce stand at the side of the road next to a beautiful old red barn.  I pulled over and took a peek.  The stand was full of the most vivid colors of fruits and vegetables and colorful mums as well.  I forgot how much fun it is to buy these things right off the farm I am so accustomed to picking them up at my neighborhood mega grocer.  
I think sometimes we forget that we are helping our Michigan farmers when we go straight to the source when we can.  Yes convenience is great, I could have just waited and stopped at the fruit market near my home or like I said the major grocery chain. But here on this beautiful summer day, the green zucchini looked brighter, the pears looked juicier, the mums were fuller.  
I purchased what you see here, and was enveloped by that sweet melon smell all the way home!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

An unusual napkin holder...discovered on this summer day..

So how was your summer day?  It was beautiful out here in Troy, and I noticed my neighbor Janet putting some things out onto her driveway that were in her garage.  She had moved into the house in the last month and I knew she probably had some pretty neat stuff, so I ventured over to see.  She greeted me and said she was getting ready to have a yard sale this weekend, she had heard the weather was going to be great.  I could not help but poke around in her stuff and I came across this really neat piece.  Jennifer explained that her sister had given this to her and I asked what it was.  Turns out that it is a napkin holder.  A very interesting one too!  Has anyone ever seen anything like this?  It looks like a Mexican girl and the colors were perfect for my kitchen.  She gave it to me!  This just goes to show, you never know what you will find just innocently checking out someones garage sale items before the sale! 

Here's another I found at an antique mall just a couple of days ago.....(October 12, 2011)


Sunday, September 11, 2011

Here's to vintage picnics kits and making memories

So today, September 11th, has come and is almost gone.  While the memory of this day is one of great sadness, for me, it was also a day of remembering when things were so very different in our world.  Simple pleasures of an end of summer day, bike riding, cold popsicles melting faster than they can be licked, and most of all summer picnics.  I found each of these picnic kits at my favorite local thrift store.  One is a tall kit with a lift out tray where the food containers can be stored. The one next to it is shallow, but does contain a plastic container for a couple of sandwiches!  The point here is that these kits are very popular and can be expensive, but it is likely you can get you find one the same place I did and for under $10.  Once you have this, just bring along a plaid blanket, find your favorite picnic spot and enjoy summer breezes and sunshine with your friends or family.  There is still time before it gets cold outside..go out there, find your vintage picnic kit and make a summer picnic memory!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Welcome to my blog

So I had been thinking about starting this blog for years. However, I am no computer wizard. But I have a niece named Alyssa who is a wizard, an artist, a free spirit, and most of all, just so helpful!  She set me up, and what do you know?  Here I am!

I love the 40's and 50's eras.  I loved the old fashioned kitchen, the utensils and dinnerware used, the furniture..I guess you could say I just love the lifestyle as I perceive it.  Moms were in the kitchen and putting their feminine touch on everything using the styles of the day that I happen to love.

Throughout the past few years, I have acquired some pretty nice vintage things that someday I hope to incorporate into my new space, kind of starting over.  I am not really traditional anymore. I am vintage through and through. Furniture pieces, beautiful dish sets from time gone by, linens and just the overall flavors of it all will be posted here.

My kids may think I am a bit obsessed with this stuff.  But I say that if something makes you happy, then surround yourself with it and sharing my obsession here is a positive step toward keeping the clutter in my mind to a minimum.

Have fun with this page. Post and share always!

Love,

Kimberley
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